Lipa City quarantine facility opens
A 128-bed quarantine facility was recently completed in Barangay Dagatan in Lipa City, Batangas.
The Department of Public Works and Highways turned over the facility on October 2 to the local government of Lipa City.
“Our DPWH Batangas 4th District Engineering Office (has) finished the conversion of Lipa Academy of Sports, Culture and Arts (LASCA) into temporary medical facility for individuals who will be identified as possible and confirmed COVID-19 with mild symptoms,” Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar said.
The secretary added that the spike of infections in the province of Batangas, which is considered as an industrial hub with many economic zones, compelled the government to advocate the transfer of all infected persons to isolation centers instead of home quarantine so as to prevent the further spread of coronavirus disease.
Undersecretary Emil Sadain said that the construction of quarantine facilities with 20 beds at the Municipal Beach Pavillion in Barangay Bucana, Nasugbu, Batangas is also under way as well as the repurposing of San Pascual Evacuation Center, Batangas with 22 beds.
To augment and increase the health service capacity, the DPWH Task Force will also set-up three makeshift medical facilities using prefabricated units with 76 beds at the Batangas Medical Center in Batangas City.
"The DPWH Task Force has been more responsive in putting up quarantine facilities to address the urgent need for medical facilities made inevitable by the pandemic because that is what the people need," Sadain said.
Sadain, head of DPWH Task Force to Facilitate Augmentation of Local and National Health Facilities formed by chief isolation czar Secretary Villar, led the turnover of the isolation facility to Department of Health Region 4A Director Eduardo Janairo and Lipa City Mayor Eric Africa.
The turn-over ceremony was graced by Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto. Also in attendance at the event were Directors Aristarco Doroy and Edgardo Garces of DPWH Task Force technical working group, DPWH Region 4A OIC Assistant Director Jovel Mendoza, and Batangas 4th District Engineer Rody Angulo.